Samer Talat
Researcher
Hometown: Amman, Jordan
During my final year of the Ph.D. program at National Chiao Tung University (NCTU, currently called NYCU) in 2015, a classmate who was working at ITRI asked me if I was interested in working on a 5G-related research project. Of course, this topic pulls my attention, especially since it was and is still one of the hot topics of current industries. I submitted my resume, which was reviewed by the managers and division director. Then, I have been invited for several interviews and got the offer to be part of the team as I get my Ph.D. diploma.
I joined several European-Taiwan projects and with the team, we created several demos that tackle a different aspect of the 5G echo system. The demo was related to advanced communication and utilizing edge and fog and sometimes the cloud to provide the best service for end users in terms of latency, throughput, availability, and reliability. For example, chairing the demonstration and Trials on 5G in which the team developed an end-to-end system for disaster relief utilizing drones. More details can be found in the following links: https://euprojects.netcom.it.uc3m.es/5g-dive/, https://euprojects.netcom.it.uc3m.es/5g-coral/, https://www.5g-crosshaul.eu/
Currently, we moved on toward the 5G-Beyond project/ 6G project. Yet, we are still working on advanced communication systems, in particular, low orbit Low Earth Orbit (LEO) networks. In this project, LEO satellite networks are expected to provide several features including fast connection, and global coverage, which the current terrestrial networks cannot adequately support, for rural IoT services. The LEO project is quite interesting and different from common wireless communication. In general, the work environment is good but it will be better if you understand the culture well. Also, the workload is reasonable but you may need to work extra overtime hours to meet certain deadlines.
In summary, I had wide exposure to different standards, projects, and more and can be listed with the following highlights:
Contribution to Next Generation Alliance (NGA) - Application group in NTN-related topics, especially for NTN remote area data collection.
Enhancement of technologies related to the Next Generation of Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communication especially constellation with handover and multiple access.
Developed technologies for the 5G era specifically related to UAVs.
Developed technologies for the 5G era specifically related to high mobility management, multitenancy, and energy management application based on 5G platforms.
Joined international cooperation technical meetings such as 3GPP SA2/RAN2, 5G-DIVE, 5G-CORAL, 5G-CROSSHAUL.
It is important to mention, ITRI has nice facilities including the YoHo Club with a swimming pool, sauna rooms, and gym equipment. Also, you have access to several campus areas within Hsinchu city which is good, especially for family weekend activities.